Introduction: Tunnpannkaka
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About: I run Neal's CNC in Hayward, CA, an expert CNC cutting and fabrication service, easily findable by Google search. I'm a founding member of Noisebridge, a hackerspace in San Francisco, and Ace Makerspace (forme…
The Swedish answer to crepes!
Tunn meaning flat, and pannkaka meaning (wait for it) pancakes, tunnpannkaka are thin, unleavened, breakfast treats that I've been eating since childhood and cooking nearly as long. They are tasty and simple, although there's a bit of skill to be gained in the pour. You will see what I mean.
Tunn meaning flat, and pannkaka meaning (wait for it) pancakes, tunnpannkaka are thin, unleavened, breakfast treats that I've been eating since childhood and cooking nearly as long. They are tasty and simple, although there's a bit of skill to be gained in the pour. You will see what I mean.
Step 1: Recipe
The entire ingredient list is this:
4 eggs
2-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups flour
cooking oil
Beat the eggs, beat in the milk, beat in the flour. You should have a fairly thin batter, a bit thicker than whipping cream, without many lumps (but some lumps are OK).
That is all. Now the fun part!
4 eggs
2-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups flour
cooking oil
Beat the eggs, beat in the milk, beat in the flour. You should have a fairly thin batter, a bit thicker than whipping cream, without many lumps (but some lumps are OK).
That is all. Now the fun part!
Step 2: Pre-heat
Heat up your stovetop to a fairly high heat. On my electric I use 7 (of 10). Get out a big frying pan and let it heat up. Pour about a tablespoon of oil in and let that heat up. The oil should be hot enough to just barely start to smoke. A tiny drop of water should explode immediately, no skittering around sizzling. The oil should run about the pan at nearly the consistency of water. When these things are happening, you are ready to cook.
Note that the temperature required to cook tunnpannkaka is too hot for butter, you do need to use oil - corn, canola, safflower, etc (olive oil would work but the taste is wrong for this dish).
Note that the temperature required to cook tunnpannkaka is too hot for butter, you do need to use oil - corn, canola, safflower, etc (olive oil would work but the taste is wrong for this dish).
Step 3: Pour
Set your batter nearby and get a half cup measuring cup (a third cup also works, especially if your pan is small). I put it on a plate so it doesn't fall completely into the batter.
Scoop up a little less than a cupful. Holding the pan in your left hand, pour the batter quickly into the middle. Rotate the pan so the batter runs around and you get a circular pancake, more or less.
Scoop up a little less than a cupful. Holding the pan in your left hand, pour the batter quickly into the middle. Rotate the pan so the batter runs around and you get a circular pancake, more or less.
Step 4: Flip
Let the tunnpannkaka cook for about a minute and a quarter. You can tell it's ready to turn when the edges start to get brown. Slide a spatula or pancake turner around the edges to loosen it, then flip the whole thing over in one smooth motion.
Step 5: Plate
Cook the tunnpannkaka on the second side for about 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn it; you are just browning this side. Then call one of your breakfastees over, lift up the pancake, and slap it down on their plate.
Step 6: Roll
Tunnpannkaka are traditionally eaten rolled up with syrup (at least in my house). There's a little trick to the rolling: slide one tine of a fork into the edge of the pancake and roll away from you. You may need to hold a finger on it to get the fork out from inside.
Step 7: Eat
I love these with maple syrup (which I do not think is traditional) but you can also eat them with jam, honey, lingonberry syrup, powdered sugar, whatever. Or I made them for lunch once with cheese sauce. Sauteed mushrooms & spinach if you like. Anything you can think of really!
This recipe makes about 12-15 tunnpannkaka depending on size. It feeds two super hungry people or four if you're also, say, eating fruit & drinking coffee. It works best if you have a breakfast bar so the eaters can sit across from the cook and everyone can see the cooking process and fight over who gets the next one.
I took no pictures of the eating process because a) it went pretty fast, and b) my hands were busy. Use your imagination :)
This recipe makes about 12-15 tunnpannkaka depending on size. It feeds two super hungry people or four if you're also, say, eating fruit & drinking coffee. It works best if you have a breakfast bar so the eaters can sit across from the cook and everyone can see the cooking process and fight over who gets the next one.
I took no pictures of the eating process because a) it went pretty fast, and b) my hands were busy. Use your imagination :)